Painting Ceilings Can Liven Up Your Interior

Looking to Liven Up Your Interior This Winter?
Try Painting Your Ceilings – You Will Be Amazed At The Difference It Can Make!
by Frank Campanelli – frank.campanelli@gmail.comOne of the easiest ways to brighten up a room is to paint the ceiling with a fresh coat of paint. It is really amazing to experience the difference that painting this “fifth wall” in the room can make. It is a bit of a daunting task, so many homeowners never do it. At Franklin Painting, ceiling painting is quite routine and many times we are called on to paint ceilings as a part of a larger interior painting project or even as a stand alone job.

The do-it-yourself difficulty level is a bit higher on ceiling painting for obvious reasons. Removing and covering the furniture and covering all flooring with drop cloths is time consuming for one. Not to mention that looking up for several hours in a row can result in a bit of a neck ache. Then there is that feeling you get when paint spatter ends up on the walls or trim. When buying your supplies, your paint supply store may tell you that painting textured ceilings will require using a thicker nap roller to reach the entire surface. Professionals will typically spray any textured ceilings. Spraying these ceilings is really the only way to avoid damaging the fragile textured surfaces. Using a thick nap roller to apply wet ceiling paint can loosen up the material that actually creates the textured look resulting in a transfer of material to the roller. The finish may end up uneven and will show the loss or redistribution of the textured materials. Many times a primer with stain-blocker should be applied before painting the finish coat of ceiling paint. Unless you are very good with cutting in edges you will want to use quick release tape can be used to mask around the trim or wall where it meets the ceiling. If you’re up for the challenge, painting the ceilings will be well worth the effort that is for sure. If you would rather hang out and watch our crews do the job, then call us for an estimate by all means!

White Ceilings are common – but is that all there is?

White ceilings are commonly used throughout the house allowing a continuous treatment to unify the various colors used on the walls of each room. White ceilings bring a crisp clean look to rooms and spread around the available light by bouncing it back down into the room. If both the walls and ceiling are white the room will appear larger, so many homeowners opt for this treatment in the smallest of rooms. Using darker, bolder colors as accents, accessories or flooring when decorating can add to the look of the smaller room and break up the white. Ceilings that are patterned or popcorned or those that are not in the best shape may look better in white, calling less attention to any imperfections.

For architectural trim elements, ornate crown mouldings, chair rails or wall panels white will draw attention to them adding to the beauty of the room and contrasting against the wall coloring. Many times the white will continue right into the ceiling in homes with this type of finish trim work.

That being said, using white when it is not really necessary can be overpowering and stark. For instance a kitchen with lovely wall color with a border around the top of the cabinets or painted trim will just contrast too much when it comes against a bright white ceiling. A better choice may be again using a very light, almost white color that plays off the wall or trim wall covering.

All treatments and decorating choices are subjective, but if you follow some basic rules of thumb painting your ceilings can really make a big difference in your home. Many decorators suggest using a much lighter tint of the wall color on the ceiling as an alternative to plain white.

What color should I paint my ceiling?

That depends on a few things, the size of the room, the height of the ceiling, the natural light in the room and of course the color of the adjacent walls and trim. White or very light off white ceilings will help to make lower ceilings appear higher. Some spaces with high ceilings can leave you feeling lost in the room. Choosing darker colors on the ceiling than the walls will make those very high ceilings actually appear lower to the eye. Ceilings colored too dark can create an uncomfortable cavernous feeling though no matter how high the ceilings are.

Ceiling color if used right can certain make a room look unique, but if used the wrong way can result in disappointing results. Personal tastes and style may make some colors perfect for you, so don’t be afraid to be different if you have the right room to explore color with.

Instead of using stark white, how about opting for a lighter shade of the wall color instead. Using a progression of darkest colors on the flooring, walls lighter and the ceiling the lightest will make the entire space seem and feel larger. Remember that when natural light is in low supply, a bright ceiling can bounce the light back down increasing the lightness of the entire room.

Bathrooms are the smallest rooms in the home, and guest bathrooms are sometimes quite tiny. One trick to make them appear a bit more spacious is to simply paint the wall color right up and across the ceiling. This will make the sharp lines and corners disappear and the illusion is that the space is larger.

Bedrooms are one place where people often are in a position to stare at the ceiling for a good bit of time, so why not use that space in a creative way. Maybe some clouds or a unique treatment could make things more interesting up there. Check out some of our more creative ceiling and interior wall painting projects here at the Franklin Painting website.